Discussions By Condition: Medical Stories

sick of the ER

I am contacting you about my boss. He is about 42 years old and having SEVERE abdonimal pain, cramps, swelling and diarrhea. He has been admitted in the hospital at least five time in the last year. He has made at least 25 trips to the ER and I don't even know how many visits to his family doctor. He has seen several specialists and still there has not been an accurate diagnosis. He has been told he might have Chrone's Disease, stomach migraines, food allergies ect and all tests have come back NEGATIVE. The one thing that the doctors keep pushing is STRESS. He has been scoped and probed numerous times. He has even had to swollow the the camera twice. He has been on so many medications for the pain. He has even been put on the special list to track his medication use because of the frequency and different doctors prescribing his medication. He has missed SO MUCH work because of his illness. I hate seeing him this way. There has to be some specialist who can diagnosis his illness. I hate seeing a grown man cry because of pain and frustration and as I am writing this now he is making ANOTHER trip to the ER. PLEASE HELP or give some advise

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I am contacting you about my boss. He is about 42 years old and having SEVERE abdonimal pain, cramps, swelling and diarrhea. He has been admitted in the hospital at least five time in the last year. He has made at least 25 trips to the ER and I don't even know how many visits to his family doctor. He has seen several specialists and still there has not been an accurate diagnosis. He has been told he might have Chrone's Disease, stomach migraines, food allergies ect and all tests have come back NEGATIVE. The one thing that the doctors keep pushing is STRESS. He has been scoped and probed numerous times. He has even had to swollow the the camera twice. He has been on so many medications for the pain. He has even been put on the special list to track his medication use because of the frequency and different doctors prescribing his medication. He has missed SO MUCH work because of his illness. I hate seeing him this way. There has to be some specialist who can diagnosis his illness. I hate seeing a grown man cry because of pain and frustration and as I am writing this now he is making ANOTHER trip to the ER. PLEASE HELP or give some adviseI do not know if this will help but I know exactly what he is going through. I have a post on here on pg.6-10?which explains my story under help I have been sick for 9 years.I will only go into a little bit of it.I was 32 & had abd. pain went to E.R. 3X in 1 week Took my gallbladder (there was no reason we found out after).From then on the nightmare began I was in the E.R. EVERYDAY or admitted for awhile only to be sent home to come right back.I had diarrhea & nausea sooo bad everyday for 16 months.I too camera pill,7 colonoscopies,7 endoscopies,2 eercps, Almost 200 days @ E.R. or in hosp. in 16 months.3 Months later they found(my pancreatic duct was closed)they went in & put a stent in to open it up. They had done testing & nothing showed to point them in this direction but they could not send me home in the condition so they decided to do the EERCP.They told me it is a risky procedure but they decided to.I was @ Indiana University.I was also diagnosed with celiac sprue. I never got any better at that time but I honestly believe those Doctors saved my life as this is still going on(Not the diarrhea but everything else) & the worst of it was the first 3 years.The G.I Drs. tried everything they could & believed I was sick and tried numerous things.Which when your that sick just them giving you some form of Hope can make all the difference in the world.I was put on steroids after 16 months by I.U. due to I was pregnant & would lose 10 lbs in 3 days.So they tried that & it seemed to help those symptoms which would make me so weak I wasn't able to function at all.The pain was worse than labor.We still really don't know what my DX completely is. I saw your story & feel so bad for your boss as what he is going though is beyond any words I could write.Just keep trying to find an answer as with his symptoms he has to.I know stress can cause alot of things but to a point.I also believe & know from my own that DRS. will point towards that when they have no answers. Have they have done pancreas testing??? I wish him the best & he's lucky to have someone like you helping him.If you aren't getting anywher with local DRS. May want to consider bigger hospitals or university.Good luck!!!